Having said this, I turn back to Elewijt, where there was a true reenactment of such a Thing. Vikings from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, UK, … gathered there to demonstrate the different aspects of Northmen life. Me and my sister-in-law decided this was a perfect excursion with the kids. If only they were not this grumpy, they might have loved it. Oh well, the mummys had a great time.

The first highlight of the Viking convention for me consisted of the sight of a 4 horned sheep. I think, this must have been a Black Hebridean Sheep, but I’m not quite sure. What I do know, is that this breed was popular during the Viking era and that it is a damn strange creature. The lady at the entrance told us, that these bad ass sheep could wear up to 6 horns on their little clueless heads… say what??

The second fun moment for me, not being an actual Viking connoisseur I must admit, was the photoshoot with “shieldmaiden” Lili. She loved swaying her wooden sword in a dangerous way and wore her tunic with pride. Maybe I should’ve called her “Brynhildr” instead…

Picture by Liesa Vanhamme .

If you think this post is taking you on a sentimental journey already, I have to warn you for what’s coming next. She also gave Lili, my daughter, a small version of this bracelet, since she is her godchild. On her first charm are engraved the letters “I” and “L”. You can imagine Lili’s radiating little face while wearing the same bracelet as her mummy when we are having a party or special event. Especially, since she realizes that she got it from her favourite “Tantinés”.

Ines intended the charm to be filled with other charms that remind us of special places step-by-step, but, to be honest, I like it very much as it is right know. In fact, I liked it so much, that I gave her and Michelle, her little daughter and my godchild, the same set half a year later. The only difference are the letters “E” and “M” on Michelles bracelet.

I got so many positive reactions, that Pieter is planning to create a whole new collection based on this jewel. The concept is still top secret, though

Now, about the picture. The city of Antwerp has, of course, its own facebook site. That’s why they commissioned two photographers to take pictures from the visitors of the Cristmas fair. Of course, out the long queue, they picked us. They loved the combination Lili and Pieter, apparently. The sentence on the panel says “Come and warm yourself up on our city”. In a way, this picture doesn’t suit this blog very well, since I am completely underdressed here. I’m wearing absolutely no make-up at all, only a slight bit of YSL cream blush N°6. And my outfit…well… I wasn’t aware of the unfortunate location of the disabled parking sign above my head. Maybe thruth hides in a chance coincidence. Lili is wearing a hat and jeans from H&M. Her jacket is from Lili Gaufrette, beautiful and elegant kids wear, and I keep on enjoying the funny fact that it says “Lili” all over their garments. Her boots are Uggs, Toddlers Jorie II to be exact, she wears them barefeet, precisely as we were told. Pieter is wearing the Adidas hat he got from me this Christmas. The reddish of his beard contrasts sublimely with his blue Fred Perry jumper, combined with a Merc shirt. And then, Miss Fia herself… She wears the “Wij komen ons verwarmen aan ‘t stad” sign with elegance and gives us a radiant smile at the same time. This smile is beautified by a vivid Bourjois Velvet Rouge Edition lipstick, Grand Cru N°8. Sofie was well equipped, since she brought her own skates. These are real beauties from Roces.

We started our trip through Wales at the Forest of Dean, which was already enchantingly beautiful. Then on to Cardiff we went, visiting, as I mentioned before, Nick and Gina. Gina appeared to be not only Lili’s immediate hero, but also a magnificent chef. She overwhelmed us with a delicious meal based on vegetables and herbs she raised in her nearby allotment.

After our friendly visit to Cardiff, we stayed a while at West Hook Farm near Marloes, at the very west point of South Wales. We made a boat trip around Skomer island, which delighted Lili with the view of thousands of Puffins, a lot of dolfins and one -slightly confused- seal. We continued our journey northeastwards and made our last stop at the Brecon Beacons National Parc. In the mean time, the weather conditions weren’t as jolly as they should be, which made us look out for an indoor childfriendly activity. I mistakenly thought I found such an activity at Dan-yr-Ogof, or the National Showcaves Centre for Wales. We installed our camper at the “kids allowed” part of the camp site. No kidding, we weren’t allowed to choose a pitch at certain areas because of the presence of a kid in our camper and the noise pollution she could bring along with her. The funny thing about this is, that, later that day, Lili awoke far too early from her afternoon-nap because of the noise caused by someone tidying up the three leaves scattered about on the walkway of the campsite with a very loud blowing machine. Anyway, the next day we headed for the activities of Dan-yr-Ogof. First we visited the showcaves, which are very impressive. They are complemented by more than 200 life-sized dinosaur models, a delight for the kids, of course. But the real fun began when we explored the Shire Horse Centre and Farm. This is by far the most attractive children’s farm I’ve ever seen, simply by looking at the scenery alone. Down at Mr. Morgan’s Farm you can meet goats and Shetland ponies, see alpacas and llamas grazing in the fields, and try to keep up with the chipmunks as they race through tunnels above your head.

In this picture, Lili walks resolutely towards the alpacas. They looked at her, as if they’ve never seen a two year old girl before. Maybe they were a bit muddled by the dress she was wearing. My parents bought this dirndl dress with matching white shirt in Bayern, Germany. The confusion of these animals could also be caused by the outright ugly Crocs Lili was wearing. They are way too pink and even chance colour -they turn into violet- when exposed to sunlight. What a blessing that this kid doenst care yet about superficial style issues and simply heads off for some good outdoor fun, given the suddenly changed weather conditions. This meant pure hapiness for not only this little pathfinder, but also for the radiating mum and dad.

The chicken house in the picture is DIY, made from pine wood, which was impregnated to make it wind and water resistant. With a fretsaw, Pieter created the chicken and heart design. The roof tiles are second hand. Inside the ladies mansion, he made a wooden box to serve as a nest and a stick  from one side to the other tot sleep on. It’s very important, to put ambiose, some sort of hemp, on the floor and in the nest of the henhouse, since it doesn’t attract vermin.

The chickens in the picture are Monique and Tineke, named after my mother and my mother in law. Everyday, Lili goes out in the yard and into the henhouse, to collect the eggs and proudly bring them to us. The eggs don’t always survive this trip, since she is still a bit clumsy in the realisation of this mission. In return for the eggs, we feed the ladies a plate full of grain and kitchen left-overs. Be careful not to feed them potato skins or too much bread.

This picture was taken by Greetje Van Buggenhout  for Het Nieuwsblad Magazine of december 2013. Petra De Pauw asked me for an interview in the series “Fashionmama’s”. She was tipped by Greetje about my interest in me and my daughters styling. I’ve been working together with Greetje for  photoshoots since I think seven years now. Lili was a bit cross at the time of this shooting, so we looked for the perfect location for her to be delighted with. She loves being amongst the chickens and likes fetching their eggs, so we took advantage of that situation to get her to strike a pose in front of Greetjes camera.

Lili is wearing a dress that her grandmother bought for her at Lola, stock sale for kids, Antwerp. Her cute icebear hat is H&M. I found the black rubber boots in a little shop in Zandhoven, Belgium. The owner was an old lady who sold her sock at that moment. I suppose her store must be closed by the time I’m writing this down.

I’m wearing my favourite cardigan with maribou bunny tail by Moschino. Got it at Rosier 41 in Antwerp. The white ankle boots are in fact my wedding shoes. I wore a very fragile wedding dress -excuse me, my mothers wedding dress- so the little boots countered this fragility. I’ve been wearing these shoes ever since our marriage, because they are so comfortable and stylish. I bought them at Elsa, Antwerp. Tights are Mediven Elegance compression tights, which make your legs feel light as a cloud during the day.